It started a couple days ago, a nasty ice storm that put 36,000 people out of power in Central Illinois. The power company has been working non-stop to restore power, to say nothing of trees that fell on houses, etc. The ceiling in my son’s apartment caved in and he is dealing with that.

Then last night, the temperature dropped to below zero – a cruel development for those still without power. And the wind began gusting to 30mph, downing trees, snapping power lines, and generally compounding the situation. We may get more ice on Tuesday (Christmas eve eve) but no expected thaw until Saturday. It is biting cold outside. Happy holidays, everyone.

And yet… it is so beautiful. Every tree branch sparkles like a diamond. It is truly a gorgeous, destructive winter wonderland. (Click the picture for a larger view.)

Not surprising that he has caught a cold, and is recovering with us for a few days. He wondered; “What else can happen?” and then immediately retracted the question.

Just the ceiling caved in, but that was nasty enough. We took pictures of the incredible amount of mold behind it (indicating that the leakage problem is not limited to this storm) and he’s going to try to catch up with the city inspector tomorrow. This isn’t the first time he’s complained about the ceiling leaking, and the landlord hasn’t done diddly.

And 60,000 people in Nova Scotia lost power for a few days. The hydroelectric company said they might not get everything restored until Christmas but I think that the last 20,000 people got their power back this morning.